1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvements of an interfacing apparatus between medical instruments.
2. Related Art Statement
Recently, with the diversification of video instruments, it has become necessary to operate a plurality of video instruments as related with each other.
The above described relationship is very high particularly between a medical electronic endoscope apparatus and an image filing apparatus for filing video images imaged by this electronic endoscope apparatus.
Therefore, the present applicant has suggested, for example, in the publication of a Japanese patent application No.270306/1988, an endoscope system in which an electronic endoscope apparatus and still picture filing apparatus are connected with each other.
FIG. 1 is of an example of the above described endoscope system wherein an endoscope apparatus 911 and image filing apparatus 921 are connected with each other through cables 920 and 926 so as to operate as related with each other through these cables 920 and 926.
The above mentioned electronic endoscope apparatus 911 comprises, for example, an endoscope 913 to be inserted into a body cavity 912, a light source apparatus 914 feeding an illuminating light to the tip of this endoscope 913, an image input apparatus 916 driving such imaging device as a solid state imaging device (CCD. The imaging device may be provided, for example, on the tip surface of the above mentioned endoscope 913 and making such signal processing as converting to a video signal the imaging signal photoelectrically converted by the above mentioned imaging device. The apparatus also includes a monitor 915 displaying the video signal from this image input apparatus 916 and a keyboard 917 for inputting a patient information or the like, the endoscope 913 is connected to the light source apparatus 914 and the endoscope 913, monitor 915 and keyboard 917 are connected to the image input apparatus 916.
The endoscope 913 comprises, for example, an elongate flexible insertable part 913a, a thick operating part 913b connected to this insertable part 913a in the hand base side base, a universal cord 913c extended from the side of this operating part 913b, a connector 913d provided at the end of this universal cord 913, a signal line 913e extended from this connector 913d and a connector 913f provided at the end of this signal line 913e, the connector 913d is connected to the light source apparatus 914 and the connector 913f is connected to the image input apparatus 916.
The above mentioned image filing apparatus 921 comprises an image file controller 922 controlling the respective devices of the image filing apparatus 921, a still image filing apparatus 924 recording video signals in such large capacity recording medium as a photodisc or photomagnetic disc, a monitor 925 displaying the video signal from the above mentioned image file controller 922 and a keyboard 927 for inputting a patient information or the like and the monitor 925, still image filing apparatus 924 through a signal line 923 and keyboard 927 are connected to the above mentioned image file controller 922.
In FIG. 3 is shown the formation of the above mentioned electronic endoscope apparatus 911.
The above mentioned light source apparatus 914 is provided with a lamp 930 generating a white color light, a rotary color filter provided with filters 932R, 932G and 932B separating this white color light respectively into R(red), G(green) and B(blue) lights and a motor 931 rotating and driving this rotary color filter 932 so that the illuminating lights separated into the wavelength regions of R, G and B may be fed to the entrance end surface of a light guide 933.
The exit end surface of the above mentioned light guide 933, a light distributing lens 934, an objective lens 935 and a CCD 936 which is a solid state imaging device are arranged in the tip part 913a of the above mentioned endoscope 913 so that the illuminating light led by the above mentioned light guide 933 may be radiated by the light distributing lens 934 and an object beam by the reflection of this illuminating light may be made to form an image on the imaging surface of the CCD 936 by the objective lens 935.
Further, a release switch 947 is provided, for example, in the operating part 913b of the above mentioned endoscope 913 and is connected to a character code transmitting circuit 950 of a later described image input apparatus 916.
The above mentioned image input apparatus 916 is provided with an amplifier 937 connected to the above mentioned CCD 936, a .gamma. correcting circuit 938 connected to this amplifier 937, an A/D converter 939 connected to this .gamma. correcting circuit 938, a selector 940 connected to this A/D converter 939, an R memory 941R, G memory 941G and B memory 941B connected to this selector 940, D/A converters 942R, 942G and 942B connected respectively to these R memory 941R, G memory 941G and B memory 941B, image signal synthesizing circuits 943R, 943G and 943B connected respectively to these D/A converters 942R, 942G and 942B and connected to a later described character signal generating circuit 946, a connector 948J connected to the above mentioned image synthesizing circuit 943R, 943G and 943B, a control signal generating part 944 connected to the above mentioned A/D converter 939, selector 940, R memory 941R, G memory 941G and B memory 941B, D/A converters 942R, 942G and 942B and a later described synchronizing signal generating circuit 945, the above mentioned synchronizing signal generating circuit 945, a character signal generating circuit 946 connected to a later described keyboard 917, a character code transmitting circuit 950 connected to the above mentioned release switch 947 and a later described keyboard 917 and a connector 947J connected to the above mentioned character code transmitting circuit 950.
The above mentioned keyboard 917 is connected to the character signal generating circuit 946 and character code transmitting circuit 950 of the above mentioned image input apparatus 916.
In the above described endoscope system, the light source of a lamp 930 provided within the light source apparatus 914 is separated into R, G and B by the filters 932R, 932G and 932B of the rotary color filter 932 rotated by the motor 931 rotated and driven by a synchronizing signal from the control signal generating part 944 of the image input apparatus 916 and is radiated to the entrance end surface of the light guide 933.
The light source separated into R, G and B as described above is led through the above mentioned light guide 933, is emitted from the exit end surface and is radiated to a part to be inspected or the like not illustrated by the light distributing lens 934.
The object beam by the above described illuminating lights of R, G and B is made to form an image on the photoelectric converting surface of the CCD 936 by the objective lens 935.
The above mentioned CCD 936 is driven by a signal line not illustrated, converts the object beam having formed the image on the photoelectric converting surface to an imaging signal and outputs the imaging signal to the amplifier 937.
The above mentioned amplifier 937 properly amplifies the input imaging signal and outputs it to the .gamma. correcting circuit 938.
In the above mentioned .gamma. correcting circuit 938, for example, the imaging signal has .gamma. corrected, is converted to a video signal and is output to the A/D converter 939.
In the above mentioned A/D converter 939, the video signal which is an analogue signal is converted to a digital signal by the control signal of the above mentioned control signal generating part 944 and the digital signal is output to the selector 940.
In the above mentioned selector 940, by the control of the above mentioned control signal generating part 944, the output of the above mentioned A/D converter 939 is switched to the R memory 941R, G memory 941G or B memory 941B and is output. This switching is equal to the wavelength region R, G or B of the illuminating light radiated to the above described object to be imaged and, in case the illuminating light is, for example, R, the output will be to the R memory 941R.
The video signals memorized in the above mentioned R memory 941R, G memory 941G and B memory 941B are simultaneously read out by the control of the above mentioned control signal generating part 944 and are output to the D/A converters 942R, 942G and 942B. That is to say, the video signals of the object beam input in time series in the wavelength regions of R, G and B will be image signals made simultaneous.
In the above mentioned D/A converters 942R, 942G and 942B, the input video signals which are digital signals are converted to analogue signals and are output to the image synthesizing circuits 943R, 943G and 943B.
In the above mentioned image synthesizing circuits 943R, 943G and 943B, there are input not only the above described video signals but also the signals from the character signal generating circuit 946.
In this character signal generating circuit 946, the identification number (mentioned as the patient ID hereinafter), name and others of a patient input from the keyboard 917 are output as signals superimposable on the above described video signals.
Thereby, the video signals of the part to be inspected or the like superimposed with the patient ID and others shown by the reference numeral 960 in FIG. 2 from the above mentioned image synthesizing circuits 943R, 943G and 943B and the SYNC (synchronizing signal) generated in the above mentioned synchronizing signal generating circuit 945 by the control signal of the above mentioned control signal generating part 944 are output to the monitor 915 and are also output to a connector 948J so as to be able to be led out.
A connector 948P is connected to the above mentioned connector 948J and the video signals of the part to be inspected superimposed with the patient ID and others which are the output signals of the above described image synthesizing circuits 943R, 943G and 943B and the SYNC (synchronizing signal) generated by the above mentioned synchronizing signal generating part 945 are output to the above mentioned image file controller 922 by the signal line 920 connected to the above mentioned connector 948P.
The patient ID and others input from the above mentioned keyboard 917 are input also to the character code transmitting circuit 950 so as to be converted to information exchanging codes provided by JIS C 9220 and others and to be output by a physical interface provided, for example, by RS-232C and a peculiar protocol (communication procedure) so as to be able to be led out to a connector 949J.
The signal line 926 is connected to the above mentioned connector 949J by a connector 949P and is connected to the above mentioned image file controller 922 so that such information exchanging codes as of the above mentioned patient ID and others may be output to the image file controller 922.
Further, the release switch 947 is also connected to the above mentioned character code transmitting circuit 950 and is operated as required by the endoscope system operator so that the above mentioned character code transmitting circuit 950 may output the controlling information exchanging codes to the above mentioned image file controller 922 so as to record the now input image in the still image file 924.
Thereby, the above mentioned image file controller 922 records such patient data as the patient ID and others input as described above and the image signal input as described above in the above mentioned still image file 924.
However, in the endoscope system which is an example of the above described video instrument, there is a problem that not only the cable for transmitting the video signal but also the cable for transmitting the information exchanging code is required and must be arranged.
Further, there is a problem that, in order to transmit the information exchanging code, both instruments must coincide with each other in the physical interface and protocol (communication procedure).
Also, speaking of the image input apparatus, there is a problem that some instrument can output the image but can not output the information exchanging code.
Therefore, in the publication of a Japanese patent application laid open No.60071/1989, there is suggested an imaging system wherein a control signal of an imaging part is superimposed on a synchronizing signal and a state signal of the imaging part is superimposed on a video signal by a frequency multiplex means or the like so as to be transmitted.
However, in the above described system, there are problems that the frequency multiplex means for superimposing the control signal on the synchronizing signal and superimposing the state signal on the video signal is required for each instrument and the imaging system can not be adapted to an instrument which can not output the information exchanging code.